Many casino games include players playing against the house to obtain a player hand having a value closer to a target value than the house hand is. For example, Baccarat, Blackjack, Spanish Twenty-One®, and the like all fit this pattern.
Blackjack is a well known card game played in casinos. The object of the game is to have a final hand sum closer to twenty-one than the dealer's final hand sum is to twenty-one without exceeding twenty-one. For purposes of calculating a hand total, each card has a value equal to its face value except face cards, which have a value of ten, and Aces, which may have a value of eleven or one as the player selects.
The form of Blackjack played in casinos is house banked. This means that the house is represented by a dealer who deals cards, pays winning player wagers, and collects losing player wagers. Similarly, in a Blackjack game machine, the machine controls a house hand and handles collection and payment of wagers, while a player controls the player hand.
In a typical Blackjack game, each player makes a wager. The dealer, whether live or represented by a game machine, deals two cards to each player and two cards, one card face up and the other face down, to the dealer. Any player receiving a natural twenty-one or Blackjack, i.e. a total of twenty-one in the initial dealt hand, is immediately rewarded, typically at a rate of 2:1 or 3:2, and play is terminated as to that player. Each remaining player examines the player's hand and forms a final player hand. In forming the final player hand, the player may hit, i.e. receive another card, or stand, i.e. stop receiving additional cards and make final the current hand. A player may hit as many times as the player wishes as long as the player does not bust, i.e. have a cumulative total greater than twenty-one. When a player busts, the player's wager is immediately collected and play is terminated as to that player.
A player may also have additional options available depending on the initial hand dealt. If the player receives a pair, i.e. two cards having the same face value, the player may split the pair and use each card as a basis for a separate hand. For example, if a player were to be dealt a pair of eights, the player may choose to split the pair and continue play with two hands each having an eight and an additional dealt card. Each of those individual hands is then played independently.
A player may also have the option to double down. The availability of the double down option will vary from casino to casino. However, in all cases, the option allows a player to double the player's wager in exchange for a single additional card. For example, if a player has a initial hand total of eleven, the player may wish to double down, betting that the single additional card dealt is a ten. However, because of the nature of the double down wager, even if the next card is a three, for example, the player cannot receive any additional cards.
After all the players have played their hands, the dealer reveals the face-down card in the dealer's hand. The dealer plays the dealer's hand according to established house rules. That is, the house uses established “house rules” to eliminate the dealer's discretion, so that the dealer hits or stands as the house rules dictate. The dealer then resolves the wagers. In resolving the wagers, players with a final hand total closer to twenty-one than the dealer's final hand total are rewarded at even money. Conversely, wagers are collected from players with a final hand total further from twenty-one than the dealer's final hand total. If the dealer busts, all players who did not bust or receive a Blackjack are rewarded. If the player and dealer push, i.e. have the same final hand total, the player's wager is returned.
Blackjack is a well established and, to some, routine game. It is known that players are drawn to new features on conventional games, especially when those features can lead to higher or more frequent pay outs. One method for a player to increase the excitement and potential win for the player is for the player to make an additional wager to participate in a bonus feature. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,839,730, issued to Pike, discloses a side wager for Blackjack in which players are immediately rewarded for obtaining card sequences independent and separate from the Blackjack game. The winning bonus sequence may include only two cards, such as a pair of cards or adjacent cards, or it may include multiple cards. The player may earn a bonus reward even if he or she loses the Blackjack game itself.
However, the game of Pike has drawbacks. First, the pay outs are cumulative in that a reward is issued when the player receives the first and second card of the sequence and separate rewards are issued as the player “hits” and receives the other cards of the sequence. That is, a player may be issued a first reward for receiving two aces. If the player hits and receives a third ace, he is rewarded again, and so forth. This can create a burden on the casino because the dealer must examine each player's hand after each hit to determine whether a bonus hand has been obtained and issue a reward accordingly.
Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 5,288,077, to Jones, discloses a side wager for Blackjack in which players receive a progressive jackpot reward for receiving a variety of hands including straights, suited combinations, and the like. U.S. Pat. No. 5,577,731, also to Jones, likewise discloses a side wager for Blackjack in which players receive a progressive jackpot reward for receiving three aces during the play of the player's hand. The drawbacks to Jones '077 and Jones '731 are that the progressive pay outs must be tracked by the dealer and carried over to each successive game. Again, this can be a burden on the dealer and reduce his or her efficiency and number of games dealt per time period.
Griffiths, U.S. Pat. No. 5,174,579, is directed to a game in which a side wager is placed on a dealer Blackjack or bust on three or more playing cards. The drawback of the side wager of Griffiths is that there is no provision for the player to be paid more than even money. That is, a player has no opportunity to receive a higher pay, even though certain outcomes would be less likely to occur. Additionally, the wager of Griffiths is, in some sense, difficult to accurately predict because a player is paid without regard to the quantity of cards dealt in the dealer's hand when the dealer busts.
Lofink, U.S. Pat. No. 5,615,888, also discloses a game in which a bonus is paid for receiving various combinations of cards that add to twenty-one, such as three sevens, three suited sevens, six-seven-eight, and so forth. However, bonus payouts will be infrequent in such a bonus scheme because the only bonus combinations disclosed add to twenty-one. Also, there is no added excitement for the player because a sum of twenty-one already guarantees the player at least a push.
An additional drawback to all of these games is that the bonus is paid on a separate basis from the base wager and the wager must be made at the beginning of the game, prior to receiving any information about the game. Thus, it can be seen that there is a need in the art for a method of conducting a card game in which the player receives some information about the dealer's hand prior to electing whether to place a supplemental wager resolved along with an initial wager.